Getaway
by Serephy
Summary: Anyone Orochimaru picks up will eventually be turned into lab rats. There's no escaping that fact. That's the last thing that Keiko wants. She wants to make her escape, but she can't do it without the help of Uchiha Sasuke. SasukeXOC. For my friend, Amber


Okay, I'm not that much of an OC writer, but my friend insisted that I write a SasukeXOC fic for Christmas, since I couldn't afford a nice present for her.

So…here it is, a nice fic written for my friend Amber.

* * *

**Getaway**

Orochimaru walked through the hallway, his golden eyes flaring with impatience. Anyone could see that an unhealthy obsession was growing in his eyes – an obsession that would bring his downfall later. I stared at him as he passed by, running my finger against my kunai.

I placed my hand on the knife, feeling the cold freeze run through my fingertips, through my hand and into my chest. If I could feel the cold, why can't I feel anything else right now?

Kabuto eyed me suspiciously, watching my movements like a scientist would to a lab rat. I was a lab rat, after all, trapped in this building Snake Sannin Orochimaru-sama called his headquarters, the place where many are imprisoned, just like me. The place where only the strong can live, and where the weak can only hope to see the light of heaven.

Orochimaru stopped in front of Kabuto, gesturing for him to get up. He mouthed to me, "_Stay here, Keiko_." I obeyed with nothing better to do. The two of them walked away. I counted how many footsteps I heard until they reverberating sound disappeared. I knew that I was all alone now, in this silent room.

I sat down on the bed, feeling the uncomfortable fabric that Kabuto called blanket wrinkle under me. It was only going to be a while until it gave way, breaking. My head plummeted into the pillow, fatigue from being watched constantly catching up to me.

That night, I dreamt of my family. Those who I was taken away from, just because of my inability to feel something. To feel anything. To feel lonely, glad, angry, sad, or to love. The snake says that's a gift. A special gift that means that I'm going to grow up into a shinobi whose heart isn't clouded by any emotion.

If that was correct, then what is this feeling that I have? This feeling that tells me that if I am to go through this life, I have to feel something.

Footsteps awoke me, this time more than two. I sat up, walking out of the door. I knew I was going to get it from Kabuto, but it didn't matter right now. Orochimaru picked up another stray, his dream container, the one who was supposed to take the place of the legendary Kimimaro.

I saw Orochimaru in his temporary body, with his short silver hair and bandaged face. Kabuto was trailing behind, looking the same as usual, except worried somewhat. There was a boy my age walking in-between them, his eyes dark and serious. He had this unexplainable aura to him. An aura that told me that I had to talk to him, that I had to get to know him. Orochimaru seemed proud of this new container, even though he came later than expected.

The boy expression just showed impatience, a lust for power, and a hate for someone he used to love. I dared to come out and speak to Orochimaru. Just an innocent talk - that was what I planned. Just a talk that would give me an outline of what this boy's like.

"…Orochimaru-sama," I managed to say once I got myself into view. Kabuto glared at me, but said nothing. The glare meant to me that he was going to give me a nice scolding once Orochimaru left.

"Keiko-chan," I saw a small smile stretch across his face under his mask of bandages. "What perfect timing. I don't have time to show Sasuke-kun around at the moment; do me a nice favor and help him get used to this place." I nodded, finding that a 'yes' would mean that I'm too obedient, and a 'yeah' would mean that I'm too defiant.

Kabuto and Orochimaru walked off, leaving me in the long hallway with this mysterious boy.

Something opened the hatch that kept my words in place. I suddenly felt like talking to him. I suddenly felt like I _could_ talk to him, with nothing going wrong.

"So, you're name is Sasuke, right?" The words came naturally to me. I usually thought hard about what I'm going to say next, and the ten seconds of silence during the conversation caused by my contemplating would bring the downfall if the entire chat.

"…Aa." Such a quiet boy. Orochimaru always loved quiet boys like that. Quiet and serious, beautiful and strong. Those were the kinds of people that he liked.

"Unique name," I said, feeling something creeping up my face. The corners of my mouth curled up.

"Why're you smiling?" His voice was sour, and he was radiating that power-hungry aura. I prefer to stay away from people like that, but this boy was different. Under his I-don't-give-a-damn expressions, there was something that actually cared and felt for people.

But then, his question finally pushed its way into my head. I didn't realize that this feeling on my face was a smile back then. But it felt different from just an upside-down frown. I decided not to share my problem of not having emotions with Sasuke, so I just kept talking.

"My name's Keiko. Since we're the same age, Orochimaru-sama is probably going to keep putting us in the same group and making us train together." My voice sounded different than the quiet girl that I used to be. Sasuke just raised his eyebrow, and shrugged, pulling the robe tighter around him for a second. "…Well…What village are you from?"

"…Konoha." That was his simple answer. Konoha. I always dreamed of that place. From what I heard from Kabuto-senpai, Konoha's a cheery place with friendly people, strong Chuunin and Jounin, and many promising and hard-working Genin. Kabuto said that Konoha was the place that was filled with great idealism, fueled by the now deceased Sandaime. If I had a choice, I would visit Konoha, just to see what it was really like, but I'm still shackled.

When I thought about the village, thoughts of making my getaway began.

"I'm from the Suna," I replied. "I've never been to Konoha before. Is it nice there?" We both started walking, me leading the way. Sasuke just followed a bit hesitantly. He probably just isn't the type to take part in such a welcoming conversation. I probably just assumed that he could, since Konoha is the place that it is.

"Hn. At first."

"Then again, you did come here. Power…that's what everyone wants, ne?" My voice depressed a little. Obviously he came here of his own free will, unlike half of the people imprisoned here, including me. No, we were kidnapped by Orochimaru, just because of some 'promise' that we all had, just to eventually be thrown away and kept as lab rats because our 'promise' isn't real.

Someday, I know that I'll be like those that are lying, limp, in their cages. Whenever I think about it, I feel like I swallowed down some bile. I kicked at one bar, feeling the impact through my toes and up my leg. "Shut up," I said to one of the moaning females that were begging for food.

The action was wrong – I knew that. Feh. Do unto others as you expect others to do unto you. What a joke that was to me at the time. Superiority just gets into everyone's head. With that, annoyance comes with everyone you look down upon. It's human nature.

"Why did you come here, anyway?" I asked when the boy remained silent. No one likes this kind of conversation in Oto, but I have to ask. Kabuto once said that curiosity also can kill the shinobi. Then again, that Medical Nin says everything that you don't expect.

"Just as you said," Sasuke said his voice irritable. Was I really that annoying? Or is it just the superiority thing? So I'm bringing annoyance to him. I frowned. If he was annoyed by me, then how am I supposed to get my emotions? As far as I know, he's the trigger to them, and if he refuses to talk to me I'll sooner or later become one of those suffering test subjects in their cages. This I know from the first five minutes I've spoken to this guy.

"Hey, Orochimaru-sama put me in charge, so listen to me, okay?" I said, my voice returning the irritableness. Sasuke shot me a look, but I ignored him with some difficulty.

So this was one of the burdens of emotions. Anger, frustration. I heard that anger can help people's powers build up, but usually not in the way you'd like it to. This old woman who died a few months ago told me about emotions and the outside world. This time in better depth than Kabuto's ranting. She said that the emotions that fuel your fighting is anger, frustration, jealousy, sadness, desire, lust (any kind of lust – power, blood…), a lot more, and most importantly, love. I was confused at first, believing that people's reasons to fight only includes negative ideas, but then she spoke of the great village of Konoha.

"Konohagakure," she said. "Is a village not only famous for its strength, but for its morale. They care deeply about the things that they love, so they fight for them. This is probably why all of their Hokage were great."

"So, why's Orochimaru so interested in you, anyway?" I kept talking, my irritated voice turning back to normal. "You have a special bloodline or ability?" Orochimaru-sama was picky, after all. He was in love with Kimimaro, at least until the 'Destroy Konoha Operation' came into play and he fell ill. Orochimaru cared for him, until in the middle of the operation he said that he met an extraordinary boy with the Sharingan, like that Itachi that he met years ago. "You have the Sharingan?" I asked, expecting an 'Aa' or 'Hn.'

"Hn."

See?

"Keiko-chan, could you hurry up and just bring Sasuke-kun to his room?" Kabuto frowned at me, getting impatient. "I need to speak with you." The long-awaited scolding was bound to come sooner or later.

I sighed. "You're room's right over here, Sasuke-kun. Bye!" I gave a small wave with a smile and followed the Medic Nin down the hallway. Kabuto gave me one of those suspicious looks. I guess he was just surprised. I haven't smiled at anyone ever since I arrived here, and that was nearly ten years ago. "Kabuto-san, before you say anything, I'm sorry. I was just interested in Orochimaru-sama's new…vessel." I paused on the word vessel. Of course. Sasuke was just happened to only be around for three years, an entirely too short time span. Bad luck follows me like a lost, stray animal, finding me a good owner for it.

Kabuto shook his head. "Looks like another failure," he mumbled under his breath. Failure? I suppose it was just because I started showing emotion. So eventually, I'm going to really end up as one of those lab rats? Then what the hell was I supposed to do – live my life like an emotionless freak so I can keep my life? Or should I actually learn to become human, but get locked and experimented on in the process? I was barely able to hold back arguments, but my options were only those two…and run away. "Keiko-chan, please don't do that again. Orochimaru-sama doesn't have time for you." Kabuto ushered me into my dank room and shut the door.

"Well, then." I pouted, my hands placed defiantly on my hips.

I lay down on the bed, feeling emotion drain out of me, feeling the thrill that I felt with Sasuke disappear so quickly, like a thirsty plant would to water. I knew for sure that this was a feeling that I didn't enjoy. All I wanted in that moment was to see Sasuke again – it was the only clear thing that I could think about. At least I knew the trigger to the gun that was my emotions. Now I knew where my escape was, my getaway.

* * *

The only place where I could find peace since Uchiha Sasuke came into Orochimaru-sama's life was the training dojo. The sound ninja spar there, train there, or just relax without one of the higher-ups breathing down their necks. It was the same for me, too, but the place seemed quieter to me, especially since the Sound Five were dead. It depressed me a little. They were the only people in this damned village that ever even gave a damn about me, other than Kabuto and occasionally Orochimaru.

The training dojo was always empty in the mornings. Otogakure might be a strong village, but half of us don't even have the strength to go and train early in the morning. So, naturally, I come to the grounds at dawn, leaving once more shinobi begin to appear.

But it just so happened when I was about to get started, I heard footsteps approaching the room. I frowned – I'm not the type of person who can train in front of others. I impatiently tugged on my leggings, hoping that the person who was approaching was just passing by.

And there he was, Uchiha Sasuke. He was wearing different clothes than last time – a navy blue shirt, white shorts, arm warmers, and bandages around his legs. I stayed silent, staring at him. The same feeling that I had yesterday was rising in my chest, causing a smile to make its way across my face. Sasuke paused at the door, staring at me with odd intensity.

I let the smile show. The Uchiha raised a dark eyebrow, his arms crossed. He had that impatient look on his face again – I wonder if he's always like that? I was about to speak, until his firm voice echoed across the room first. "I didn't expect anyone to be here so early in the morning." There was no amusement in his voice, no bitter tone either. It made me think of myself. Uchiha Sasuke…was he like me? Or does he really have emotions but no will to let them show?

I buried the questions in my head, instead replying to his statement. "I didn't expect you to be here so early, either. No one comes here in the morning, and I prefer to train alone…so naturally…" I kicked at a nearby rock, watching it skip to the corner feebly. "It doesn't matter if you're here or not. I wanted to see how well you do in battle, anyway. So? You up to it?" I gave him a small nod upwards, feeling confidence growing inside of me.

Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly, as if he thought I'd be no challenge to him. He fell into a fighting position, similar to the Hyuuga's Gentle Fist stance. Sasuke straightened up, his feet together, with his hand out, motioning me to come first. I already made my decision – I won't use my special Genjutsu. It wasn't finished yet, anyway.

I ran straightforward, to test his speed, and slid on the ground as an attempt to trip him. Sasuke jumped out of the way, and he was about to grab me and throw me against the wall or something, until my hands moved and pushed me up to a handstand, dodging his attack and flipping away to make distance.

"Humph. You're pretty fast, I'll give you that," Sasuke straightened up, back to his original position. "I guess that's what I would expect from someone in Otogakure."

He suddenly loosened his position and charged at me, disappearing right in front of me and appearing behind me. I dodged it barely, feeling his heel scratch against my back. Wincing, I grabbed his foot before it touched the ground, flipping his body. Sasuke stopped my movement by planting his hands firmly in the ground. He was about to kick me until I grabbed his other foot. The Uchiha let out a small smirk, keeping one hand down for balance and using the other to try and punch me. My eyes widened at the boy's flexibility, and I took the hit. The punch knocked me away from him. Sasuke smirked as I wiped away a small stream of blood running from my mouth.

"You're good, too," I smiled, letting one arm go limp as my other hand grabbed the katana waiting on my back. "I guess it's time I got a little more serious, huh?" The thin, sharp blade shimmered from the small amount of sunlight coming in from the window. Sasuke made the first move again, a kunai in his mouth. I crouched down and tripped him unexpectedly, but instead of letting the Uchiha fall to the ground peacefully, I used the back of my katana to hit his back, causing him to fall forward. "Does this make us even?" I asked with a small mocking tone.

Sasuke spat angrily into the ground. So, this was the irritated I-hate-to-lose type. He used his legs to trip me up on the ground, and I fell backwards. Sasuke knelt up, picking up the kunai that he dropped onto the ground and pointing it right at me. I froze, now wondering if he even had the nerve to kill me.

He stopped the kunai at my cheek. I felt the cold blade against my skin, and cold liquid run down my face. Pain ran down my spine when I opened my eyes. I felt someone's breath against my cheek. I saw Uchiha Sasuke's face close to mine, his dark eyes staring at me emotionlessly – reminding me of myself just a few days ago.

"Sasuke-kun…?" I whispered, taking in a deep breath.

"…Breath. You've been holding your breath for a long while now," Sasuke said quietly, pushing off of me and turning away. I sat up, feeling my own blood touch my neck. I shivered, finally realizing how chilly the air in the training grounds was. Sasuke stood up and brushed his dark hair out of his eyes. "Is that enough of a fight for you?"

I stood up, using the back of my hand to finally wipe the blood away. The cut was small, and it wasn't bleeding a lot. But, it was enough to leave a scar on my cheek for a long time. "Why did you do that?" I asked, pinching my face to try and stop the bleeding.

The raven haired boy turned and stared at me, hard. "It's not anything to worry about. Maybe you're just not used to getting hurt – is that it?" He stuck his hands into his pockets, his stare now challenging. He tilted his head to the side and let a mocking smile cross his pale face.

I gave him a small pout and removed my hand from my face. "Oh, shut up. In case you didn't know, we're allies now. We're comrades. To avoid casualties during missions, we're not supposed to hurt each other. Even Oto has those beliefs. It might not be for the same reason as Konoha, but it helps us complete our missions more efficiently." I blew the hair out of my face and stood up. More footsteps were approaching already. Maybe they were interested in how Orochimaru's new vessel fared in battle. "I would stick around, but being surrounded by a lot of people isn't want I came to do here. I'd watch out, because a lot of those people are itching to challenge you."

Sasuke's stare hardened into a glare. I gave him an innocent smile. "Well then, see you around!" I turned and headed into the dark hallway, waving my hand at him in the process. He gave no reply to me in return – he just shrugged and turned back to the training posts, throwing kunai deftly into their targets.

My heart fell slightly. I had this weird feeling towards the Uchiha boy, something that I couldn't explain. He wasn't that different from a lot of the other boys in the sound village. The basic attitude that we had was cocky, quiet, and serious. He apparently was no exception. If that was true, then why? Why do I feel this way about him? And what's more, he probably doesn't even think of me as anyone. Not as a comrade, and especially not as a friend.

I weakly smiled to myself when I turned the corner, Sasuke disappearing from my sight. My emotions that were finally revealed were staying with me this time. They weren't growing, but they were there…and hopefully there to stay.

* * *

It's been a week since Uchiha Sasuke moved in. I hadn't gotten much of an opportunity to talk to him during that time, because Orochimaru was preoccupying him with odd tasks and Kabuto seemed fully bent on finding out how my emotions suddenly appeared and how to flip the off switch to the light that was the thrill I've had since Sasuke. Kabuto found out about me and my emotions that day when I exchanged blows with the Uchiha boy – I was acting too obviously happy and defiant.

"Keiko-chan, keep this up and you'll just have to suffer the consequences like the other failures," Kabuto warned me, pushing his glasses up. The lens reflected the small light the candle was omitting in the room.

"…Well, then," I muttered, sticking out my bottom lip and crossing my arms. "It doesn't matter if I'm a failure or not, now does it?"

Kabuto turned to leave the room. He didn't give me so much as a glance as he said, "It does in Otogakure. And you know that, Keiko." The door slammed behind him, the sound of it rumbling through the dank and empty hallways, causing some of the captives in the room to jolt up, alert.

"Huh." I said, giving a small smile. At that point, my decision wasn't a given quite yet. My dreams of escaping and finding Konohagakure were still on my mind, but I didn't give it much of a thought. I wanted to gain as many emotions as possible by talking to Uchiha Sasuke as much as possible before making my escape. A lot of the prisoners stared at me, somewhat accusingly, their eyes penetrating yet begging. I made my way down the hall, opposite side of where Kabuto left. I stopped and turned around, facing the crowd of people behind bars to my left and right. They still had those eyes filled with mixed emotions as I said, "Nothing to see here! Go on back to your normal lives." I opened the door and slammed it behind me, cherishing the reverberating sound it made.

Still, I couldn't help but think that their normal lives were dedicated to lying there, being tested on, being famished and parched, and hoping each and every day that one day they'll be free to see the outside light, and to stay there, in their own kid of happiness. One thing I knew for certain as the echoing sound of the iron door slamming shut faded away, I did not want to end up like that.

I turned the corner, and there my escape was. Uchiha Sasuke stood there, his strong aura causing my heart to shake, his dark eyes forcing me to smile, even though I already want to. He stared at me in all seriousness, but he seemed down, glum, and totally the opposite of the mood that he originally put me in. "…What are you looking at?" He tried to sound intimidating, but it didn't work this time around. Anyone could see by the way his eyes were avoiding my gaze, by the way he bowed his head, by the way his hands were clenched into nervous fists, that he was distressed.

I didn't have the heart, or the time, to answer his question. I decided on no subtlety this time around – I wanted more answers about him. Maybe, just maybe, that would help me fill this hole in my heart. The hole that he already started to fill in on his own. But now he needed my help, and since it was my hole, my problem, I have to. I want to.

"What's wrong?" I asked my voice gentle. He was downing my mood, but that was fine. If I were to learn the absurd ways of emotions, I'd need to learn everything about it. The good and the evil, the optimistic and the pessimistic, and always the things in the caught in-between.

"…It's nothing. Nothing at all." I stepped forward, trying to catch those dark eyes again, but he looked away, closing his eyes as if he knew what I was doing. Everyone always says that nothing's going on when something serious is happening to them. And something told me that it was a serious problem – without fixing it at all, he won't have the strength to move on. A bit like me, even though I don't know the details about his predicament. He spoke again, and I finally noticed the rapidness of his talking. People talk either too fast or too slowly when they lie. I told my self that when he spoke. "I have to go. Don't worry about me – I'm nothing to worry about."

He turned around, about to leave. It felt like an eternity since I last saw him, and of course I didn't want him to leave me so soon. My hand connected with his, and I felt grateful that that day I decided not to wear gloves. His hand was cold – freezing. But not in the way that it would mean he's offending or ruthless. He was cold in a different, more beautiful way. Like maybe an ice sculpture, or even snow. People usually think of beautiful things as warm. At least now I know better.

Sasuke stopped in his tracks when he felt my hand wrapped around his. I noticed how pale his skin was compared to mine. Even though I spent my days cooped up in this madhouse, I still kept a slightly darker complexion. Not seriously dark, but dark enough to not look like a blank, white canvas like him.

But it told me that he was waiting for something. Something special to occur in his life – a painter coming and getting him ready to become a beautiful picture. Something even more breathtaking than what he is now. I envied him, and worried about him. What everyone wants is to start out on a clean slate, to start over, to forgive and forget. Even I was beginning to feel that way. But the way he seemed to abandon everything but that one motive – the motive that he is pursuing with all his heart – made me worry that no one in his life would or could bring him back to the surface of the water he was immersed in. The only hope that he would have left at this rate was the completion of that motive, which I knew was going to be a long and hard road that he might lose his life on.

"Wait, Sasuke." My other hand took his pale, cold hand, too. Sasuke didn't so much turn around to stare at me – like I'm a nuisance, but not a real problem. Like I don't matter, and that he doesn't care at all if I interfere or not, because I won't make a difference. I spoke again, the wall surrounding my heart and soul breaking as my body moved on its own, emotions taking over my body so suddenly. "You…you can talk to me about it." Sasuke finally turned and stared at me incredulously. I know that no one asks anyone to talk about their problems, but at least I'm showing him that I'm different than anyone he's met before. If he doesn't want to talk, fine, but I think letting it out is better than keeping it in. Like what I used to do. He stood there, giving me that dark look that I thought meant 'Get out of my life – I don't need you.'

But then he looked away, his eyes drop to the ground, as if he's remembering something from a long time ago. He muttered something to himself, and a weak smile appeared across his face. I could see that I wasn't the only one that needed help. At the moment, his hand took mine, and he finally stood upright to face me completely, the smile still on his face, this time even a little more wider and friendlier. I squeezed his cold hand, hoping that my hand was warm enough to keep him warm for the rest of his life. He needed it. And his cold hand…in a way, I needed it. At that moment, we both knew that we had to help each other. We were alike in a different way. His deep voice was the voice of an angel. An angel in the face of hell. "I don't know why someone would you would even want to know about someone like me…but it won't hurt, would it?"

To me, that was the most casual thing I ever heard come out of his mouth. I gave him a grateful smile – grateful because I wanted to know about him. And maybe, he would want to know about me. I knew it was possibly just my wishful thinking, but I realized that wishing on a star, wishing on lit candles, or anything, is alright now. As I held his hand tightly, following him, smiling freely, I already wished that I could be close to him. Closer than anyone else has ever been.

We were able to sneak outside, to the fresh air where Orochimaru's wandering, obsessive eyes couldn't find us. It seemed like an eternity since I saw the night sky – so long, that I even forgot the time of day. Windows were scarce in that prison that I lived in. It made me think that, if we have lights, what is the reason for the sun? Light outside? If the entire world could be cooped up in a place like this, then there's no need for this bright star outside. But I saw a small sample of Mother Nature when I finally reached the mossy grass, the fresh air, the shining stars, and the towering trees. I saw the full moon – giving us a beautiful light that seemed to give the two of us some sort of spotlight.

"It's…beautiful." I said to myself. Sasuke looked at me oddly, as if he was surprised that I haven't seen the moon for so long. He probably thought that if my ranks were this high in Orochimaru's domain, I would be set out in a lot of missions, and I'd get to see the outside world more often than just a glimpse through a tiny window. But he should know, with a rank as high as 'Emotionless Freak', I could only be sheltered inside. Orochimaru's hopes were high for me, and exposing me to the nature, or even other people could endanger his hopes of me actually being emotionless. But he didn't seem to think twice when it came to me talking to Sasuke. Maybe he lowered his guard and spoke against his will. He was probably ecstatic about his new 'container'.

And that word rang in my head for a long time again. Container. Container. Sasuke won't stay for long at this rate. Orochimaru's already impatient, anyway. Once the three years are up, the exchange would take place immediately. And Sasuke would be gone. My getaway would disappear if I didn't take this chance. To make my escape.

"You're so quiet," Sasuke said to me, letting go of my hand. I flinched, fearing that he would go back into the hideout, leaving me with no answers. "Don't worry. I'm not going any where right now." I nodded, and then stared back up at the moon. It's pale, too. The moon reminded me so much of Sasuke, so blank, yet so beautiful. I squinted, seeing that the moon was flawed, just like him. I used to think in the past that something flawed would be ugly. I guess this is just another lesson I learned from meeting him. His voice broke me out of my daydream so suddenly. "Can I just talk to you for a little while?" He was so quiet, but he was insisting. I understood immediately that he needed to get it off his mind, by talking about it, or screaming it, or whatever but…I was just glad that he felt comfortable enough around me to tell me about it.

We both sat down on the grass in a clearing a little further away from the hideout. Orochimaru might freak out if he found out Sasuke's gone, but it didn't matter right now. We sat there in silence for a while, maybe just enjoying each other's company or figuring out where to start in our heads.

He gave me a weary look, which told me that he isn't used to talking to people in this kind of situation, which seemed normal to me. The last thing that I'd like to talk about is my past, and nearly everyone in the shinobi world probably thinks the same way. And knowing that fact, it just teaches everyone that nearly every shinobi has been through hard times – and now we're fighting to protect, to gain power, to do what we want to do thanks to our stupid, stupid past. From the look in Sasuke's eyes, I could see that it's the same for him.

But my motive? I don't know. I wasn't even sure if I even wanted to be a kunoichi. I know for sure that I don't want to be one of Orochimaru's lab rats under the label of 'Unsuccessful Experiments' or even 'Successful Experiments'. What does it matter about that obsessive bastard, anyway?

Thinking about all this made me feel so in control right now. In this situation, out in the beautiful night, exposed, serene, away from his golden eyes, and now close to him. I felt like I had the power to keep my life going, and I could control it. The only person that ruled over that feeling was Uchiha Sasuke. And I finally like being out of control. Call me indecisive.

"I guess I should start," Sasuke said, leaning against a tree. He avoided my gaze and played with the grass, sometimes pulling some tufts of it up as he spoke. "It…It was all so peaceful back then. So normal, so…alright. I don't even know exactly how to start it all, because it seemed to have started since the beginning of my life. All I know for certain is that it's my older brother's fault." Sasuke dared to look me in the eye, one of his hands clenched in the grass, taking out his anger and frustration on the small green plants. "He killed my family. Uchiha Itachi."

Now that was a familiar name. I did hear that he killed his entire clan, and left his little brother alive, but I never really thought about it until Sasuke mentioned his name clearly. So, the boy that I'm talking to…he's the Prodigious Uchiha Itachi's younger brother. The younger brother of the man Orochimaru was originally after. The sole survivor of the Uchiha Clan Massacre. Sasuke's apparently called the sole survivor because people probably think Itachi abandoned the clan by killing them all, so he's not a part of it anymore. Which is natural, I suppose.

But I couldn't stand the odd feeling that was growing in my chest. I was already scared for Sasuke. I only heard stories from Kabuto about the Prodigy's abilities and feats. It's not that I doubted Sasuke's strength; it was that I didn't want to lose him. To anyone. Not Orochimaru and not Itachi.

And I always hated the thought of family fighting family, even though I don't know what true family is. My memories of my own relatives are gone now, the first thing that I remember was waking up in one of Orochimaru's hideouts, the Snake Sannin looking down on me with a smile on his face. When Kabuto came in, I was told that I was from Sunagakure, and he told me that Orochimaru took me away from my family because of my special ability.

Yeah right. Special. More like cursed.

There was a long silence between the two of us, and I decided that it was my turn to speak. I just didn't quite know what to say. He must've already gotten a lot of 'I'm sorry'. I wanted to say something special, different, just because I wanted to be different than anyone he's met before. Maybe I should've said that I'll help him with his revenge, but his expression shows me that he wants to do this by himself. Maybe I should have said that staying at Orochimaru's won't help him at all, but I don't see the point in saying that just for my own benefit of escaping the Sannin's grasp with Sasuke.

I sat down closer to him, and Sasuke tensed for one second, then relaxed. I watched his hand let go of the crumpled grass and he ran it through his raven hair. "I'm sorry." I wanted to be different, but that's all I could manage at my situation. "I really am. You really didn't have to talk about it." I looked at the grass, feeling a bit pathetic. His eyes were on me; I could feel it.

"Too late to say that. I already talked about it, so…now what? What was the good in having me talk?" He rested chin on his hand, and gave me a look that I thought was irritation. It could've been expectation, but I didn't know any better at the moment.

Taken aback, I returned my gaze to the ground, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks. There was something about how he looked at me, or rather, how he looked at everything that made me feel so odd. Another feeling grew in my chest and stomach, causing me to shift around as another short moment of silence took place. I finally found the guts to say something, anything, even if it embarrassed me completely. "I don't know. I just wanted to know you a little better…that's…all…" I pressed my knees to my chest and buried my face into them. His eyes were on me again; I just hope that he didn't see me blushing.

"…Why the hell would you want to know about me?" His voice was accusing, but calm.

"Well, sorry I wanted to be closer to you! Geez, I…" I trailed off, now mentally kicking myself for losing my temper. I looked up at him, just to see him raising his eyebrow with a bit of amusement. He seemed slightly surprised that I yelled at him for something as petty as this. I wouldn't blame him, either – I was a little shocked, myself. But then, I felt that was the time to act. To say something. To lighten the mood and make the both of us feel better. "Damn, I am turning into such a freak around you." I smiled, thinking, _So much for lightening the mood. _

"What, did I do something to your originally calm composure?" Sasuke turned away from me and stared up at the sky. The moon was reaching the highest point, marking midnight; the time when we both planned we should go in before we got yelled at by Kabuto or possibly Orochimaru. When he received no answer from his question, he went on. "I'm probably the one who's acting like a bastard, right now, so don't worry about it…"

"No, it's my fault," I said quietly, hugging my knees a little tighter. The katana was killing my back as I leaned against the tree, but I ignored the small pain that I felt. After a while, I freed myself from my little ball of safety and dared to come out clean and in the open. "You know, Sasuke…I just want to be with you. That's…that's all." My eyes fell to the side, staring at a small lady bug making its way up a twig. I felt like I completely blew our relationship because of my bad timing, then again, what the hell would I know? I've never had a relationship like this with anyone. And from the looks of the Uchiha, he's never had one like this, too.

"That sounded a little familiar," Sasuke said, following my gaze to the wandering ladybug. I thought he was going to squish it when he reached over, but instead he grabbed the twig and stared at the bug a little closer, but not so close that it would freak out the little insect. Bugs aren't rare in Orochimaru's hideout, as you could probably tell by its dark, dank, and dirtiness. Ladybugs, though, are handsome little creatures that wouldn't dare go into such a polluted place like Orochimaru's.

"…Familiar?" We both realized at this moment that the conversation was going on way too slowly and at this rate we would've gotten nowhere in our relationship because midnight was approaching fast. Sasuke gently put down the twig and stood up, thinking that it should be time for us to go back. I grabbed his hand and pulled him down suddenly, the Uchiha plopping down hard and probably leaving a green spot on his white shorts. "What do you mean by familiar?" I demanded, keeping my hand on his.

"It's nothing. This annoying girl said something like that when I left Konoha," Sasuke said. I seemed to give out a small glare, but hid it when he glanced at me. "Don't worry about it…she's just…annoying. Look, Keiko, we have to…go." He gave weak attempts of trying to break out of my grasp, but all of them were failures. His cold hand was so warm to me, and I wasn't quite ready to let it go. In fact, I don't think I'll ever be ready to.

"I don't want to go yet. Can't we wait just a little longer?" I asked when Sasuke's efforts calmed down a bit. He froze slightly, watching my movements carefully, as if I was one of Orochimaru's loyal goons who are testing him because the Sannin asked me to. It frustrated me – the way he was watching me – because it seemed like he didn't trust me anymore in that moment. All I needed was his trust, and then I think I'd be fine for the rest of my life. Just his trust.

And if I were to be greedy, maybe his love.

"Keiko, we…really…have to. Go. Now." Sasuke said his voice a little shaky. I closed my eyes and rested my head against his shoulder, feeling Sasuke tense up and flinch, then relax like he did last time. He dared to put his arm around my shoulder, and that was one of the movements that I really needed. His warmth made something erupt in myself, something unreal and so crazy. So crazy that…

I kissed him.

* * *

"Keiko. Where are you going?" His voice shook my heart, but even that voice wouldn't stop me from my decision to escape. My decision to go through with my escape. "I thought you were going to stay here." He stepped closer, I dared to step further. He seems taken aback by the movement, and takes several steps closer, faster now. It's harder to walk backwards than forwards, obviously, so I try to keep up, running backwards now, not even trying to take my eyes off of him. I'm enjoying the moment as it is – I'm enjoying probably the last time I'll ever see Uchiha Sasuke.

"I'm leaving. I can't stay here and become one of those prisoners. That's the last thing that I would want to be." My voice was loud as I heard the words 'want to be' echoing in the hall and arousing some of the sleeping prisoners. I prayed that they wouldn't start moaning for food but it looked like they knew what kind of situation we were in. Serious. "Sasuke, I'm sorry but…"

"Orochimaru says you're a failure."

"I don't care what Orochimaru says and I know that neither does you!"

"He's offering more power if-"

"I could care less about power right now!"

"If I kill you."

I stopped stepping back; my hands were clenched and shaking. Would he do that? Would he seriously try and kill me? The one and only person that I understood…That understood me would kill me for some stinking power? The fact shook my entire body, and it caused me to freeze for nearly all of eternity – all of my newly awoken emotions felt like they were going to disappear.

Then I stood up straight. I refuse to fall victim to anyone. I refuse to fall victim to myself…Or even Sasuke's plan for revenge.

Now I can finally think for myself.

Instead of stopping and fighting him, I chanced the possibility of my being faster than him. I ran down the hallways, knowing the layout of the hideout by memory and pushing past surprised ninja. I heard him chasing me. The walls were blurs around me, his footsteps were a distant dream, and my own thoughts were in their own little world, searching for escape.

The stairway leading to the exit appeared before me, and the blur that was the world fixed itself back into clear view as I raced up the stairs. It turned out that his footsteps weren't as far away as I anticipated they would be, but I was definitely faster. At least, for now. I ran through the forest, not knowing exactly where I was heading, but I didn't even care. As I ran, I untied my Hitai-ate and threw it onto the ground, and I finally realized that it was raining. The rain was one of my enemies as I had to jump from tree branch to tree branch. The rain made its strike as I slipped from one long, lanky branch down onto the muddy ground.

And standing before me was the one and only Uchiha Sasuke.

"Keiko, you don't have to do this." His voice is quiet, accusing, solemn, angry, and aggravated. "We can still go back."

"Yeah, we can go back to our real lives. The life you lived in Konoha, where you were actually happy. And I can finally search out in the real world for my real self. Sasuke, you're the one stuck in a dream! Escape! You don't need this revenge! We both can live…peacefully…together." I felt out of breath, even though I knew that I had more stamina than that.

His eyes gleamed with Sharingan, and from that moment on, I knew that I had to fight him.

But the fight ended so very quickly.

* * *

I awoke outside; my heart pounding like I was the one in a dream, and the place where I was laid down on was either heaven or my real home. I heard two male voices speaking to each other casually, and the sun was in my eyes and the trees were sheltering and protective. The surroundings were different than when I was knocked out on. I was obviously moved someplace safe.

"Ah! She's awake!" Someone looked down upon me. He looked like he was my age, but with a slightly tan complexion, wearing orange and blue, lines on his cheeks, bright blue eyes and spiky blonde hair.

"Naruto, don't push her," an old man stood up from the other side, and I recognized him immediately as Jiraiya-sama, one of the Legendary Sannin, on the same level as Orochimaru. And the other kid was obviously named Naruto. I noticed from the symbol on his Hitai-ate that he was from Konoha. "You alright? We just left a small town and you were lying there, like you were just waiting to be picked up."

"Y-yeah…Where am I?" I my clothes were dry and I was dry, but I was shaking so furiously. The 'dream' or the 'past' was still haunting me right now. I wondered where Sasuke was, but I decided to leave that question for later. These strangers probably wouldn't be able to answer my mountain of questions, anyway.

"We're going to drop you off at Konoha, if you don't mind," Jiraiya gave me a smile. "Do you?"

My eyes widened slightly. A smile crept across my face as I realized that it was my time, finally. Konoha. That village where everyone got a long (sort of). That village where I knew I could start over, and eventually travel to Suna to find my family. I stood up and brushed my dark hair aside, giving the two strangers a grateful grin.

"No, I don't. Thank you."

When the two men dropped me off at the village gates, I couldn't help but punch my fist into the air and be happy.

But still, I knew that eventually, I'd have to go find Sasuke. I'd have to go and talk to him, and hopefully set him straight. And maybe, we could start our relationship over again. The one and only thing that I could really ask for would be his smile, his face. And even though I know that he's probably long gone, I have to thank him.

He opened my escape. My getaway.

* * *

Oh, yeah. Weird fic and it's totally different from my original writing style. I usually write Yaoi (and it pained me to mention Itachi barely, for he is my favorite character!!!), but this is for my friend Amber! Yeah!!!

I can't help but be proud of this fic for no apparent reason. Yah. Yah. Yah.


End file.
